What do a Tony Award–winning rapper, a beauty mogul, and one of the greatest pitchers of all time have in common?

They’re all Jewish. All American. And now, they’re being celebrated in New York City’s  K–12 public schools, thanks to a new curriculum funded by UJA and launched for Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) — celebrated annually in May.

Daveed Diggs (of Hamilton fame), Estée Lauder, and Sandy Koufax are just a few of the icons we’re lifting up — innovators revered in their fields, who’ve remained proudly Jewish even at the heights of success.

Most of us don’t need a designated month to celebrate Jewish American heritage; we live it every day. But for many outside our community, JAHM is an important way to learn about the American Jewish community and the vital role we’ve played in America’s story.

Established with bipartisan support by President George W. Bush in 2006, JAHM was created to celebrate the 350th anniversary of Jews first settling in New Amsterdam (now New York) in 1654.

This year, JAHM comes with a powerful series of new lesson plans, made possible by UJA. The reason for our investment in this moment is obvious. At a time when social media is rife with hate and disinformation, we need to break through with stories that showcase who we are in all our diversity and what we’ve contributed to this country, from the arts to sports, law to science…even magic (Harry Houdini, of course).

While Holocaust education is mandated by law to be taught in New York schools, we can’t allow tragedy and persecution to be the only touchpoints for students. 

Many will also find their eyes opened to the fact that American Jews can also be Black, Asian, Latino, and more — one identity does not preclude the other.

Moreover, the data consistently reveals that the more people know about Jews, the more they’re likely to feel empathy. We also know that teachers, pulled in many directions at once, lean on heritage months to explore various ethnic groups and cultures.

Taking both these factors into account, we’ve been working with the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, the Institute for Curriculum Services, and ConnectED to develop a fascinating curriculum. There are lessons on the Jewish value of civil discourse and honoring difference. A lesson on the famous Skokie Supreme Court case about the tension between free speech and hate speech. A lesson on Jewish diversity and another on the concept of diaspora.

And on May 22, we’ll be convening New York City Public Schools leadership for an important conversation about building inclusion and combating antisemitism in our schools, in partnership with the Center for Jewish-Inclusive Learning. We want participants to leave with the tools and frameworks to navigate the complex realities Jewish students face today.

More broadly, our focus this year on JAHM is part of a much larger UJA strategy concerning K–12 education, designed to reach children and teens before stereotypes and false narratives take hold, which means (among other things) equipping more teachers with best-in-class content and training about Jews, Jewish identity, and Israel.

This is long-term investing. The return may not be apparent until the class of 2035 sets foot on college campuses, but our hope is that we will succeed in shifting the paradigm that has led to the normalization of antisemitism and anti-Zionism in higher education and beyond.

And in the short term, to reach kids where they are, we’ve also developed posters that are being hung in hallways and classrooms in public schools across New York.

Take a look, you might even discover a name or story you didn’t know.

Truth is, these days, we should ALL embrace every opportunity to celebrate proudly, openly, unapologetically what it means to be a Jew in America.

Shabbat shalom